Stem-winding mechanism for watches.



No. 796,162. PATENTED AUG. 1,.1905- R. L. TAFT.

STEM WINDING MECHANISM FOR WATCHES. APPLICATION FILED APR.8, 1904.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RYLAND L. TAFT, OF WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO E. HOWARD WATCH COMPANY, OF RIVERSIDE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1905.

Application filed April 8, 1904:. Serial No. 202.128.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RYLAND L. TAFT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Waltham, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have made and invented certain new and useful Improvements in Watch-Movements, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in stem winding and setting watches, and more particularly to the winding and setting mech anism, the object of the same being to simplify the construction by decreasing the number of parts usually employed for the same purpose, and thereby decrease the cost of the same.

With these and other ends in view the invention contemplates the use or employment of an arbor movable endwise and free to rotate, squared near the middle of its length and provided with a bevel or winding pinion free to rotate on said arbor, a clutch or toothed sleeve notched on its outer circumference to receive the end of one of the operating-levers and provided with teeth at one end to engage and drive the winding-pinion and train for winding the mainspring and at the other end with teeth to engage the hand-setting train for setting the hands, the invention consisting, mainly, of the general arrangement of the levers and spring employed for the purpose of transferring or moving the clutch into engagement with the hand-setting'train or from the latter to the winding-train.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of a part of the watch-movement constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the several parts in the winding adjustment. Fig. 2 is a view of the same, showing the parts in the hand-setting adj ustment.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the watchcase-center; B, the movement; C, the pendant, and D the crown, the latter being secured to the outer end of the pin d, the opposite end of said pin engaging withthe upper end of the winding-arbor F.

To the movement B is pivoted at g the lever G, the shorter end g of' which bears against the lower end of the winding stem or arborF. To the movement B is also pivoted at h the lever H, one end of which engages with the longer arm 9 of the lever G and the opposite end into a groove or recess c, formed being free to move endwise on the s uared portion of the stem or arbor F in or er, as hereinafter described, to engage with the winding or setting train. The upper portion of the clutch I is provided with the clutchteeth i to engage the winding-pinion K when the several'parts are in the winding adjustment, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and at its opposite end with the crown-teeth t to engage with the pinion i of the hand-setting train when the parts are in the hand-setting adjustment, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

The leverG, near the extreme end of the longer arm 9 is provided with a pin L, and on the arm h of the lever H near the pivot h is also provided a pin M, to which pins are secured the ends of the spring N, the tension of the spring being outward or, in other words, operating to separate the ends thereof.

In practice when the stem or winding arbor F is forced downwardly or inwardly, as

illustrated in Fig. 1, the lower end of the latter will force downwardly the shorter arm 9 of the lever G, the longer end g being forced in the opposite direction, the result being that the ends of the. spring N are brought closely together and the greatest tension of said spring exerted on the several levers. This tension of the spring causes the arm h of the lever H to move or raise the clutch into engagement with the winding-pinion K. When, however, the parts are adjusted to set the hands, by pulling outwardly the crown D and its push-pin d, as is usual in such cases, the pressure of the arbor F is removed from the end g of the lever G, the result being that the spring N will approach its normal form or shapethat is, the ends thereof will separate or spread apartand as the end of the spring attached to the pin L has a greater possible movement than the opposite end attached to the pin M by reason of the construction and arrangement of the several levers said spring in assuming its normal form will draw the end of the longer arm 9 of the lever G against the shorter end of the lever H, causing the opposite end h of the lever II to move downwardly, bringing with it the clutch I and engaging the lower end of the latter with the pinion i of the hand-setting train, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the relative ositions of the engaging ends of said levers ocking said sleeve in such adjustment.

in the clutch or toothed sleeve I, the latter v In forcing the arbor F downwardly the differential action of the spring will first force the end of the longer arm g of the lever G out of engagement with the end of the shorter arm II, the ends of the spring at the'same time being brought closer together and the tension thereof gradually increased. As soon as the disengagement of the ends of the two levers is effected the end of the spring acting upon the arm 7L of the lever II will raise the same, thereby raising the clutch I into engagement with the winding-pinion K, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that there is a differential action of the spring N which when its ends are brought closely together, as illustrated in Fig. 1, will retain the clutch I in its raised position and in engagement with the windingpinion K but when its ends are allowed to separate or spread apart that is, when the arbor F is pulled outwardly into the setting positionit will by reason of one end thereof having a greater movement than the opposite end lower the end of the longer arm g of the lever G, which end bearing against the end of the shorter arm of the lever II will force said shorter arm outwardly and the longer arm h of the lever II downwardly, the clutch I being carried downwardly at the same time, as before described. In other words, the end of the spring secured to the lever G having a greater movement than the opposite end attached to the lever II the tension on and the movement of said former lever G will overcome the tension on and will control the movement of the said latter lever H.

I-Iaving fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a stem winding and setting watch,

' the combination with a lever pivoted to the movement-plate and operated by the winding-arbor, of a second lever pivoted to the movement-plate, a clutch-sleeve operated by said second lever, and a normally expansible spring the ends of which are secured to said levers, that end of said spring secured to said first-mentioned lever having a greater possible movement than the end attached to said latter or clutch-operating lever, the ends of said levers engaging with each other when the winding-arbor is raised, and locking said clutch-sleeve in its lowered setting position against vertical movement, substantially as described.

2. In a stem winding and setting watchmovement, the combination with a lever pivotally mounted between its ends to the movement and operated by the winding-arbor, of a second lever pivotally mounted between its ends to said movement, for operating the clutch, and a spring extending between the two levers said spring normally ex pansible having one end connected to the first-named lever at one side of the pivot thereof and the opposite end cormected to the other lever at one side of the pivotal cen ter thereof and at a greater distance from said center than the distance between the pivotal center of the first-named lever and the point where the opposite end of the spring is connected to the Iirst-na1ned lever, said levers having their adjacent ends hearing one against the other, substantially as described.

Signed at Waltham, in the county of Mid dlesex and State of Massachusetts, this 31st day of March, A. D. 1904..

RYLAN I) L. TAFI.

Witnesses THOMAS F. KEARNS, ALFRED L. MooDY. 

